21 Jul 1890
- Eduard Dietl was born.
» In-depth article - Erik Heinrichs was born.
» In-depth article
21 Jul 1911
- British Chancellor of the Exchequer David Lloyd George delivered a speech at the Mansion House in which he declared that national honour was more precious than peace. The speech was interpreted in Germany as a warning that they could not impose an unreasonable settlement on France.
21 Jul 1917
- In Russia the Provisional Government was reorganized with Alexande Kerensky assuming the post of Prime Minister.
21 Jul 1918
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
- Franklin Roosevelt arrived at Plymouth, England, United Kingdom aboard USS Dyer.
» In-depth article
21 Jul 1921
- After dropping a total of 63 bombs since the previous day in experimental attacks on ships, including 1,000-pound and 2,000-pound bombs, battleship Ostfriesland sank in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, United States, proving that capital ships could be destroyed by unopposed aircraft.
21 Jul 1933
Photo(s) dated 21 Jul 1933
Photo(s) dated 21 Jul 1933
21 Jul 1936
- El Ferrol, the main naval base in the north-west of Spain, surrendered to the Nationalists. As a result the Nationalists acquired battleship Espana, cruiser Republica, cruiser Admirante Cervera, destroyer Valesco, and two under-construction cruisers Baleares and Canarias.
» In-depth article
21 Jul 1937
Photo(s) dated 21 Jul 1937
Photo(s) dated 21 Jul 1937
21 Jul 1938
- Germany passed laws requiring Jews to carry identification cards, effective 1 Jan 1939.
21 Jul 1939
- British Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax wrote to British Ambassador to Poland Clifford Norton, asking him to expressed to the Polish government the British desire for Poland to refrain from acting defiantly to recent German threats.
» In-depth article - British minesweeping trawler HMS Windermere was launched.
21 Jul 1940
- The Army High Command submitted a plan to Hitler for an operation in the Baltic States and the Ukraine.
» In-depth article - Battleship Bismarck underwent an inclining test.
» In-depth article - British Hampden bombers from No. 61 and No. 144 Squadrons attacked German cruiser Admiral Scheer at Wilhelmshaven, Germany, causing no damage.
» In-depth article - British Hampden bombers from No. 61 and No. 144 Squadrons attacked German battleship Tirpitz at Wilhelmshaven, Germany, causing no damage.
» In-depth article - Battle of Britain: German aircraft attacked convoys in the English Channel. 1 British Hurricane fighter and 1 British Spitfire fighter were shot down, while the Germans lost 3 fighters and 1 Do 17 bomber.
» In-depth article - German submarine U-30 sank British ship Ellaroy 180 miles west of Cape Finisterre, Spain. The entire crew of 16 took to lifeboats and were later rescued by Spanish trawler Felix Montenegro.
» In-depth article - The Soviet Union revealed the result of plebiscites in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania held on 14 Jul 1940, claiming that the citizens of the three countries approved the Soviet annexation of their countries. The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic was declared.
» In-depth article - US President Roosevelt returned to Washington Navy Yard, Washington DC, United States after a cruise in the Chesapeake Bay aboard presidential yacht Potomac.
» In-depth article
- British Blenheim bombers of No. 107 Squadron RAF attacked Caen, Morlaix, and Querqueville in France.
» In-depth article
- 3 bombers of No. 51 Squadron RAF attacked Hamm, Germany; the rail marshalling yard was the primary target. 10 bombers of No. 77 Squadron RAF and 10 bombers of No. 102 Squadron RAF attacked Kassel, Germany; the aircraft factory was the primary target. Finally, 5 bombers of No. 78 Squadron RAF attacked Soest, Germany; the rail marshalling yard was the primary target.
» In-depth article
- Edvard Beneš established the Czechoslovakian government-in-exile in London, England, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
21 Jul 1941
- The Majdanek Concentration Camp near Lublin, Poland became operational.
» In-depth article - Orion rounded Cape Horn and entered the Atlantic Ocean.
» In-depth article - Hiroaki Abe was transferred out of Japanese Navy Destroyer Squadron 6.
» In-depth article - German submarine U-140 sank the 161-ton Soviet submarine M94 by torpedoes in the Baltic Sea. The survivors were rescued by M98 operating nearby off Hiiumaa Island.
- Soviet troops evacuated from the positions along the Dniestr River in western Ukraine. Outside Minsk, Byelorussia, German SS troops ordered 30 Byelorussians to bury 45 Jews alive in a pit; upon meeting refusal, the SS men executed the entire group of 75 by machine gun fire.
» In-depth article - German submarine U-109 refueled from German supply ship Thalia off Cadiz, Spain.
- The keel of US minesweeper Velocity was laid down.
- The keel of US minesweeper Tumult was laid down.
- The keel of US minesweeper Token was laid down.
- The keel of US destroyer Evans was laid down.
- The keel of US destroyer John D. Henley was laid down.
- Canadian minesweeper HMCS Guysborough was launched in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- Free French leader Charles de Gaulle met with British Minister of State in Cairo Oliver Lyttleton in Cairo, Egypt, complaining of the shortcomings in the arrangement in the Middle East where Free French troops were placed under British command. De Gaulle noted that Free France would assume direct control of troops in the theater as of noon of 24 Jul 1941.
» In-depth article
- The Allied convoy "Substance" departed Gibraltar to supply Malta; it contains six transports, carrier Ark Royal, battlecruiser Renown, battleship Nelson, several cruisers, and six destroyers.
» In-depth article
- 127 German Luftwaffe bombers took off from an airfield near Smolensk, Russia to attack the Soviet capital of Moscow in multiple waves during the night; the resulting air alarms were the first to be sounded in the city. Moscow had strong anti-aircraft defences and the citizens were able to take shelter in the newly completed underground railway stations, but German air crews reported the presence of very few Soviet night fighters.
» In-depth article
- Hugh Dalton informed Winston Churchill that his Special Operations Executive was now ready to support covert operations in German-occupied Europe.
- The keel of British minesweeper HMS Cadmus was laid down.
- The keel of British minesweeper HMS Circe was laid down.
- The keel of submarine Gunnel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut, United States.
» In-depth article - Franklin Roosevelt asked the United States Congress to modify the Selective Service Act, increasing the period of service from one year of active service to also include 30 months in reserve.
» In-depth article
21 Jul 1942
- American submarines sank three Japanese destroyers near Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
- The keel for the future USS Cod was laid down.
» In-depth article - Destroyer Yuzuki supported the invasion of Buna, New Guinea.
» In-depth article - The United States Marine Corps 1st Base Depot established an advanced echelon at Wellington, New Zealand.
- After a four-hour pursuit, German submarine U-160 sank British transport Donovania 5 miles off Grand Matelot Point, Trinidad at 1029 hours, hitting her with 1 of 3 torpedoes fired; 5 were killed, 45 survived.
» In-depth article - The keel of British destroyer Zest was laid down.
- The keel of German submarine U-846 was laid down.
- Malta-based British aircraft attacked Italian transport Rosolino Pilo, which was escorted by two destroyers and two smaller vessels, after she had departed from Brindisi, Italy; they would fail to destroy the transport.
- Four B-24 bombers of US 11th Air Force were launched to attack Kiska, Aleutian Islands, but the attack was turned back due to weather. US Navy Task Force 8, dispatched to attack in conjunction, however, continued on, receiving additional fuel from oiler USS Guadalupe en route.
- Franklin Roosevelt recalled US Ambassador to France William Leahy to serve as Roosevelt's military chief of staff.
» In-depth article - German submarine U-84 damaged US Liberty Ship William Cullen Bryant of Allied convoy TAW-4J 40 miles southwest of Key West archipelago, Florida, United States at 0908 hours; all 54 aboard survived.
» In-depth article - Japanese submarine I-11 sank American ship Coast Farmer 90 miles south of Sydney, Australia; 1 was killed, 40 survived.
- 2,000 Japanese Army troops, Special Naval Landing Forces troops, and laborers, along with field guns and horses, landed at Gona on the northern coast of New Guinea. 10 kilometers to the east, another group of 1,000 Japanese landed at Buna.
» In-depth article - Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa of the Japanese 8th Fleet based at Rabaul, New Britain, Bismarck Archipelago issued a request for more destroyers.
» In-depth article - USS S-43 disembarked RAAF Flight Officer Cecil John Trevelyan Mason on Anir island near New Ireland to check in with coast watchers. Mason would be captured without knowledge of USS S-43's crew.
» In-depth article
- Canadian corvette HMCS Matapedia completed her refit Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada.
- New Zealand 6th Brigade launched an offensive south of Ruweisat Ridge near El Alamein, Egypt at 1630 hours, gaining several key positions early in the attack, but the British tanks failed to follow up as planned, thus leaving the forward units vulnerable to the counterattacks that would arrive on the next day.
» In-depth article
- Shokaku departed Hashirajima island in Hiroshima Bay, Japan.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- HMS Eagle launched 29 Spitfire fighters and 4 Swordfish torpedo bombers for Malta in Operation Inspect; 1 Spitfire fighter would be lost en route from a leaky fuel tank.
» In-depth article
- German 1st Panzer Army and 17th Army established positions west, north, and east of Rostov-on-Don, Russia.
» In-depth article
21 Jul 1943
- The German authorities in Belgrade, Yugoslavia offered a massive reward for the betrayal and capture of Yugoslav partisan leader, Tito.
» In-depth article - A large number of US Army and US Navy aircraft attacked Japanese positions at Bairoko, New Georgia in the Solomon Islands. Despite the powerful air strikes, the Northern Landing Group's attack on Bairoko Harbor was repulsed and the Americans fell back to Enogai; the Northern Landing Group was consisted of 1st Marine Raider Regiment, 4th Raider Battalion, and 3rd Battalion of the US Marine Corps and the 148th Division of the US Army. Nearby, a very small contingent of US Army, US Navy, and US Marine Corps officers landed at Barakoma, Vella Lavella to scout the area for a possible landing site.
» In-depth article - The keel of British frigate HMS Retalick was laid down.
- The keel of German submarine U-779 was laid down.
- German submarine U-1225 was launched.
- Canadian corvette HMCS The Pas collided with transport Medina while escorting Allied convoy ON 192 off the New England region of the United States; two men were killed.
- Destroyer escort USS Herbert C. Jones was commissioned into service.
- Minesweeper USS Revenge was commissioned into service.
- The keel of destroyer escort Currier was laid down.
- The keel of destroyer escort McClelland was laid down.
- Lydia Litvyak shot down a German Bf 109 fighter while flying a Yak-1b fighter.
» In-depth article
- USS S-35 arrived at Attu, Aleutian Islands.
» In-depth article - 9 B-24 bombers of US 11th Air Force bombed Kiska, Aleutian Islands while two US Navy destroyers bombarded the Gertrude Cove area of the same island.
» In-depth article
- A PBY-5A Catalina aircraft of the VP-94 squadron of the US Navy sank German submarine U-662 with depth charges in the estuary of the Amazon River, Brazil; 44 were killed, 3 survived.
- Canadian trawler HMCS Anticosti completed her refit at Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, Canada.
» In-depth article
- Japanese G3M bombers attacked the US airfield at Funafuti, Gilbert Islands.
- Erwin Rommel inspected German defenses in Greece.
» In-depth article
- Before dawn, Allied Northwest African Tactical Air Force attacked Italian ships in waters near Randazzo, Sicily, Italy. On land on this day, US 1st Infantry Division captured Alimena, US 3rd Infantry Division captured Corleone, US 45th Infantry Division captured Valledolmo, US 82nd Airborne Division captured San Margherita, US Rangers captured Castelvetrano, and Canadian 1st Division captured Leonforte. After dark, US 9th Air Force B-25 bombers attacked the Randazzo area again.
» In-depth article - Before dawn, British Wellington bombers of the Allied Northwest African Strategic Air Force attacked the airfield at Crotone and the rail marshalling yard at Naples in southern Italy. During hte day, US B-17 bombers also of the Allied Northwest African Strategic Air Force attacked the airfield at Grosseto on the western coast of central Italy.
» In-depth article
- Naka arrived at Wotje Atoll, Marshall Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- USS Bluefish departed New London, Connecticut, United States.
» In-depth article
21 Jul 1944
- US 3rd Marine Division landed near Agana and US 1st Provisional Marine Brigade landed near Agat on Guam, Mariana Islands; the landing was supported by US Navy Task Force 53. US Navy and US Army aircraft attacked Tinian of Mariana Islands, Eniwetok of Marshall Islands, and Truk and Yap of Caroline Islands as indirect support. Troops of the US Army 77th Infantry Division arrived in the afternoon; their landing was difficult due to the lack of LVT vehicles. A mile-deep beachhead was established at both landing sites by sundown. The Japanese attempted a counterattack during the night, which was repulsed.
» In-depth article - USS Rock detected a Japanese convoy in the Luzon Strait and attacked with four torpedoes. She recorded two detonations, but was not able to observe whether any of the ships sank.
» In-depth article - Heinz Guderian was appointed Chief of the Army General Staff.
» In-depth article - USS Guitarro departed Frementle, Australia for her second war patrol.
» In-depth article - A military and damage control inspection party from USS Wyoming, headed by Rear Admiral D. B. Beary, boarded USS Astoria at Virginia, United States for an inspection.
» In-depth article - Heinz Brandt died from wounds suffered during the 20 Jul 1944 assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler in Rastenburg, East Prussia, Germany.
» In-depth article - USS Finback arrived at Majuro, Marshall Islands, ending her ninth war patrol.
» In-depth article - 8 B-17 bombers of US 8th Air Force dropped propaganda leaflets over France after sundown.
- British frigates HMS Curzon and HMS Ekins sank German submarine U-212 with depth charges south of Brighton, England, United Kingdom; all 49 aboard were killed.
- The keel of German submarine U-3009 was laid down.
- German submarine U-1110 was launched.
- Canadian tug HMCS Glenlivit was commissioned into service.
- Canadian frigate HMCS Levis was commissioned into service.
- Canadian frigate HMCS Stone Town was commissioned into service.
- Destroyer escort USS Dufilho was commissioned into service.
- Destroyer USS John W. Weeks was commissioned into service with Commander Robert A. Theobald. Jr. in command.
- Brazilian corvette Camaquã was struck by a series of large waves and sank 27 miles off Recife, Brazil while escorting Allied convoy JT-18; 35 were killed.
- B-17 and B-24 bombers of US 15th Air Force based in Italy attacked Brüx in Czechoslovakia (Czech name "Most"), targeting the synthetic oil refinery.
- Claus von Stauffenberg was executed in Berlin, Germany.
» In-depth article - 1,110 bombers of US 8th Air Force were launched from England, United Kingdom against Germany, hitting München (Munich), Saarbrücken (targeting rail marshalling yards), Oberpfeffenhofen, Walldrun (targeting rail marshalling yards), Regensburg, Stuttgart, Schweinfurt, and other locations; a total of 31 bombers and 8 escorting fighters were lost.
» In-depth article - Field Marshal Erwin von Witzleben was arrested by the Gestapo.
- The French Expeditionary Corps and the US VI Corps began to be withdrawn from the front lines in Italy to prepare for the invasion of Southern France.
» In-depth article
- USS Alabama escorted US carriers as carrier aircraft attacked Japanese positions on Guam, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
- The Soviet Third Baltic Front captured Ostrov, Pskov Oblast, Russia.
» In-depth article - In Moscow, Russia, the Soviet Union announced the establishment of the Polish Committee of National Liberation to administer areas of liberated Poland, angering the Polish government-in-exile based in Britain.
- No. 616 Squadron RAF, equipped with Meteor Mk I jet fighters, was transferred to RAF Manston in southern England, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
- USS Baltimore depart San Diego, California, United States, with destroyer USS Fanning in escort and US President Franklin Roosevelt aboard, for Adak, Aleutian Islands.
» In-depth article - At Chicago, Illinois, United States, the Democratic National Convention nominated Senator Harry Truman to run as Franklin Roosevelt's vice presidential candidate in the upcoming election.
» In-depth article - US Army transport FS-185 was commissioned into service at New Orleans, Louisiana, United States under the command of US Coast Guard Lieutenant (jg) L. C. Rickert.
- US Army transport FS-186 was commissioned into service at New Orleans, Louisiana, United States under the command of US Coast Guard Lieutenant F. D. Obrian.
21 Jul 1945
See all photos dated 21 Jul 1945
- The Allied leadership threatened Japan with destruction if it did not surrender.
» In-depth article - USS Sea Robin fired a torpedo at a Japanese patrol boat in the East China Sea; the torpedo missed. Later in the same day, she sank two small tankers with her deck gun.
» In-depth article - Allied leaders selected Nürnberg, Germany as the location for trials against accused German war criminals.
» In-depth article - Soviet submarine ShCh-411 was commissioned into service.
- USS Macabi reached waters near Truk, Caroline Islands as a lifeguard vessel.
» In-depth article
- 12 M26 Pershing heavy tanks arrived at Okinawa, Japan.
» In-depth article
See all photos dated 21 Jul 1945
21 Jul 1946
- Douglas Bader retired from the British Royal Air Force at the rank of group captain.
» In-depth article
21 Jul 1951
- Captain Roy Gano was named the commanding officer of USS Saint Paul.
» In-depth article
Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis
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"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us... they can't get away this time."Lt. Gen. Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, at Guadalcanal